Re: Dan Wesson V.S. Smith & Wesson
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On the whole, I say S&W hands down. Now, I have had a couple of Wesson .44s that were very nice. Lots of their higher end stuff is kinda cool...interchangeable barrels, etc. But, overall...for fit and finish and pure quality...the older S&W stuff can't be beat in my book. There are a lot of Colt revolver fans out there...but I prefer the Smiths. The simplicity, durability and craftsmanship of the Smiths cannot be beat for the price

"A .45 for every man woman, and child if I am elected President. Two for every good looking woman!!!"

kdub01
*TFF Senior Staff*
Posts: 1469
(11/9/02 1:20:29 pm)
Reply | Edit | Del Re: Re:
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Colt revolvers were always built to closer tolerances than S&W. A high primer would hang up in a Colt - a Smith would let you pull it on thru. Seems to me, a Colt Python is more coveted and higher priced than an equilivent Smith.
"Keep Off The Ridgeline"

Re: Dan Wesson V.S. Smith & Wesson
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kdub...true on the Python. But as I said...for the money. A Python costs way more than an equivalent Smith. Also, the Colt revolvers seem more fragile to me...they seem so nice I am afraid to shoot them too much. Although, I had a trooper that I shot the hell out of...never failed.

Anyway, the question was between S&W and Wesson.

b9904...I would never recommend adjustable sights for a carry situation. If it is an emergency, it will 99% of the time be a point and shoot situation. Adj.'s won't help and YES they have a tendancy to snag because of their configuration.

"A .45 for every man woman, and child if I am elected President. Two for every good looking woman!!!"

Paid for by the Xracer and Boom-atic for Federal Office Campaign

Edited by: boomatic at: 11/10/02 9:36:34 am

Jeff Fite
Member
Posts: 2
(12/28/02 6:23:23 pm)
Reply | Edit | Del Re: Dan Wesson V.S. Smith & Wesson
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I have to say on average Smith & Wesson models are more practical for the average person. Some people don't read owners manuals and they often ruin a good gun through neglect. I have seen people damage Dan Wesson revolvers or have malfunctions because they failed to use the correct procedure for switching barrels. They either strip the threads or fail to check barrel clearance with the supplied guage. As an end result...lots of problems.

If you are a mechanically inclined or technical person then a Dan Wesson is for you. If not, then get the Smith & Wesson. Dan Wessons can be as accurate as any other .357 Magnum made. My favorite .357 is my S&W 27-7 eight shot model. Only my SIG P210-2 shoots as well in my handgun collection.

i'm the one that kills threads!!! don't worry too much about it... sometimes, just everything's been said already???

anyhow, i think this here's a great BBS and we "kill threads" for some reason OTHER than because we're outsiders or something like that.

chris in sandy eggo

Bill
Member
Posts: 1
(1/1/03 6:56:58 pm)
Reply | Edit | Del Dan Wesson vrs S/W
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For .44 mags I recommend the Dan Wesson over older S/W model 29's.
I just bought a like new model 29-2. Took it to the range and due to recoil the cylinder would unlock, thence the next single action shot would fall on the last fired chamber. Did research on the web and found this was a known deficiency for model 29's until the 29-6 fixed the problem. Even new S/W's are not as strong as the Dan. For large caliber I'd vote for the Dan. Also for some like myself I like the interchangable barrels. Makes for a very flexible sidearm.

anchored
V.I.P. Member
Posts: 111
(1/2/03 12:22:56 pm)
Reply | Edit | Del Re: Dan Wesson vrs S/W
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I've shot a few smiths, but I owned a dan wesson in .357, and became very biased toward them, but wouldn't want to carry one. If you're hunting or target shooting, dan wesson is the way to go because those guns are much more accurate due to their barrel design. Smiths are more like working guns in my book, and most are dang ugly to boot. I've never seen an ugly dan wesson.

This is old post, but oh well Dan Wesson hands down for me. Why I have shot Rossi, Taurus, S&W, Ruger of all makes and model and years made. Out the box all of them the triggers feel like I am pulling car up hill. The Dan Wesson out the box feels good and has a short hammer pull. I also have to say the Dan Wesson will out shoot all of them.

Dan Wesson here too. If you like and want a S&W go buy one. S&W has to many short comeings with there Mid frame 357 mags. Nothing new there. Also limits and probmlems with S&W large frames at times along with current QC issues, Or lake of compaired to several years ago. I have several 30 year old + DW that I would NOT trade today for a S&W custom shop revolvers today. I have hunted with mine for 35 years. All still tight today. Two of my DW.

I have two Dan Wesson revolvers (.22 and .357) and a whole lot of S&W's. I'm a fan of the S&W's. My DWA guns are both beautiful (Monson-made) and of course they both shoot great, but the lockwork and the grip angle of the Dan Wesson revolvers is not my favorite. I prefer S&W's Model 17 and Model 28, but not by much. In truth I could live with either brand.

Both my DWA's are equipped with aftermarket Pachmayr grips. I find these much more comfortable than the factory wood. Not pretty, but practical.

I have done trigger/action jobs on several guns over the years and the Dan Wesson parts like the hammer and sear are very soft and will not withstand much of a trigger job. On the other hand Smith and Wesson parts are made of the hardest material of all I have worked on and will hold their triggers for thousands of rounds.

I cannot speak for the new Smiths with the lock and or the internal firing pin because I have never done an action/trigger job on one of those.

I have owned the small framed version Dan Wesson in both 22 and 357. Both are very accurate guns. The 22 was probably one of the most accurate 22's I ever shot (limited experience but not that limited as I won more than ten 22 pistols). I have also owned a S&W K22 (Model 17) that was a close match but not quite.

I also own a SuperMag DW in 357Maximum. That is one sturdy weapon. It is so accurate that it was the choice of most Silhouette contestants in the 1980's. If you don't know, that is a handgun contest out to 200 yrds (the 200 yard target is a waist high metal ram).

But each DW had been back to the factory at least once for repair. I have four S&W revolvers and only one has been back to the factory and the gun had not actually failed. It just spit lead when shooting cast lead bullets because the forcing cone was cut originally for jacketed bullets. The change in forcing cone angle solved the spitting problem on this 41Mag.

As for soft trigger parts: I do trigger jobs on most all my guns. For either the S&W's or DW nothing more than a change of springs gets the triggers to be better than almost any gun you can name. There is no reason, in my opinion, on either of these brands to touch a stone to any of their trigger parts. Now, this is on the older DW and even the newer S&W's. I know nothing about the latest version DW revolvers. All my DW were purchased in the 1980's and 1990's. My last S&W (an L-frame) is only about 12 years old.

So....... If it is accuracy you want then the old DW's are the ones to have. If it is finesse of design then go for the S&W. But the real answer is to own both brands!

My oldest 357 has around 8000 rounds of 180gr loads for hunting and no idea for 158gr for fun. It was my every weekend gun for so many years. It has a wolf hammer spring and that is the only thang ever changed. Trigger pull DA is 6lbs and SA is just over 2.4lbs. This was my hog gun for 20 years . It is a 1976 revolver bought new. May other another 357 from '78 and a 44 mag from '81 I think. I did take all trigger groups out to polish a bit with a oiled wet dry 1000grit paper and put back together with breakfree. They do slick up well. Never use gun oil only break free clp.

Anyone has a issue with DW grip angle you could work it your self with a rasp and wood files. Since the grip mounts on a post it is highly workable unlike sw to get what ever angle you want. Today with LB Custom Grips and hogue you can get what is needed. I am one that hates pachmayr grips. Hate them. Don't care much for the wood on DW or SW when useing there larger grips. I use hogues on mine for hunting and they make the factory rubber grips for on sw and ruger.

New S&W ain't what it once was for sure as far as QC goes. Maybe none are. To bad CZ has screwed around with DW revolvers and if they ever make it back for sale they are priced like S&W.

The DW .357 I owned in the early 90's was very accurate, but the trigger mechanism jammed up alot from day 1. I never sent it in, I just sold it. I was told they had QC problems. I have never had a similar problem with a S&W, or a Ruger for that matter.